Redmond Community:

Over the last few weeks, we have had some significant police activity in Redmond and we know that many in our community have questions. You may be feeling a little unsettled about things you are seeing in the news, on social media, or hearing from your children and neighbors. Within the last week, Redmond Police responded to written threats at the Redmond High School and Redmond Middle School, as well as the Bella Bottega Theater.

First, we want to assure you that we are fully committed to protecting all children, adults, families and businesses in our city. Our primary focus each and every day is to keep you safe and secure. We take each threat seriously and it is our job to quickly assess the risk that each poses and determine the credibility of each threat.

What does “credible” mean though? It’s difficult for us to label threats, even though our community often would like for us to name it in some way. We investigate the circumstances, what exactly was written, the manner in which it was left, etc. In the schools specifically, we evaluate the likelihood of who left it, interview students, talk with parents and coordinate closely with Lake Washington School District (LWSD) staff.

Our officers also review historical law enforcement information from recent activity in Redmond, the surrounding Seattle area, and national data for similar incidents in schools. We apply the appropriate level of resources for the risk of each threat. As we investigate written threats inside the schools, we often do not share the exact images of the threats or relay the exact verbiage at the time of the initial investigation, for several reasons. It changes the dynamics of interviews and sometimes, can prompt copycat activity. Please know that we will always inform the public early on of the exact content of such notes, if doing so would keep your student or you safer.

Please keep in mind, while we work closely with LWSD staff, it is ultimately their decision to determine whether or not schools will be closed. District staff have a much better understanding of each school, its students and other factors that must be considered.

Unfortunately, even with our skilled officers, disciplined training regime and resources, we cannot tell a school or any business that we are 100 percent certain that nothing will happen. But, all three threats have been unfounded. We have not found any suspicious items or devices. Initial investigations did not uncover any facts or evidence that lead us to believe the actions expressed in the messages were likely to be carried out. It is likely the two school threats, and possibly the theater threat, were written by students or teenagers. With that being said, we must treat each threat seriously and will continue to respond and investigate appropriately.

Respectfully,
Chief Ron Gibson